View source for CircleRoute

{{Short description|Pair of bus routes by Perth, Australia}}
{{About|the circular bus routes in Perth, Western Australia|the circular bus routes in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia|TransGoldfields}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}
{{Use Australian English|date=September 2021}}
{{Infobox bus line
|number       = 998&thinsp;/&thinsp;999
|logo         = 
|image        = 
|bgcolor      = #009E58
|titlecolor   = white
|system= [[Transperth]]
|garage       = 
|vehicle      = 
|pvr          = 
|predecessors = 
|night        = 
|start        = [[Fremantle railway station|Fremantle station]]
|via          = [[Murdoch railway station|Murdoch station]]<br>[[Curtin University bus station]]<br>[[Oats Street railway station|Oats Street station]]<br>[[Bayswater railway station, Perth|Bayswater station]]<br>[[Stirling railway station, Perth|Stirling station]]<br>[[Shenton Park railway station|Shenton Park station]]<br>[[University of Western Australia|University of WA]]
|end          = Fremantle station
|length       = 84 kilometres
|level        = Daily
|time         = 3 hours 30 minutes
|map          = }}

The '''CircleRoute''' is a pair of circular [[Transperth]] bus routes through [[Perth]]'s suburbs.

==History==
[[File:Transperth Volvo B8RLE (Volgren Optimus) TP2785 @ Elder Place,Fremantle (cropped).jpg|thumb|[[Volgren]] bodied [[Volvo B8RLE]] on route 998]]
[[File:2005 Volgren CR228L bodied Mercedes-Benz OC 500 LE CNG (TP1900).jpg|thumb|[[Volgren]] bodied [[Mercedes-Benz OC 500 LE]] on route 999]]
The CircleRoute was introduced in two stages. On 16 February 1998, the first stage of the CircleRoute commenced operating between [[Fremantle railway station|Fremantle]] and [[Oats Street railway station|Oats Street]] stations via [[Murdoch railway station|Murdoch station]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160305013937/https://www.mediastatements.wa.gov.au/Pages/Court/1998/02/Launch-of-first-stage-of-Transperth-Circle-Route-bus-service-at-Murdoch-Uni.aspx Launch of first stage of Transperth Circle Route bus service at Murdoch Uni] Minister for Transport 16 February 1998</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160305010051/https://www.mediastatements.wa.gov.au/Pages/Court/1998/03/Figures-show-new-Circle-Route-bus-service-is-an-outstanding-success.aspx Figures show new Circle Route bus service is an outstanding success] Minister for Transport 18 March 1998</ref> It was operated by [[Swan Transit]] with [[Mercedes-Benz O305]] buses in a special livery with purple bands blended into the green blocks of the standard colour scheme, with an elliptical shaped logo featuring two arrows in white.<ref>Transperth News ''[[Rattler (periodical)|Rattler]]'' issue 307 March 1998 page 8</ref><ref>Freo-Oats St stn commenced 16/2/98 ''[[Australian Bus Panorama]]'' issue 13/6 June 1998 page 33</ref>

On 22 February 1999, the route was extended to become a 133 stop, 84 kilometre circular route.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20151222105833/https://www.mediastatements.wa.gov.au/Pages/Court/1999/02/Official-inauguration-of-50km-extension-to-popular-Circleroute-for-buses.aspx Official inauguration of 50km extension to popular Circleroute for buses] Minister for Transport 22 February 1999</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20151222095115/https://www.mediastatements.wa.gov.au/Pages/Court/1999/04/New-cross-suburban-Circle-Route-bus-service-gains-popularity.aspx New cross suburban Circle Route bus service gains popularity] Minister for Transport 16 April 1999</ref> All four Perth contractors; [[Path Transit]], Perth Bus, [[Transdev WA|Southern Coast Transit]] and Swan Transit, operated services.<ref>Services ''[[Transit Australia]]'' April 1999 page 95</ref><ref>4 operators, 1 route = success ''[[Australasian Bus & Coach]]'' June 2000 pages 36-40</ref> In December 2000, the services began operating daily with the introduction of a Sunday service.<ref>Western Australia ''[[Fleetline (periodical)|Fleetline]]'' issue 270 January 2001 page 8</ref>

Prior to the CircleRoute's introduction, Perth had limited cross-suburban routes, with most of the network focused on transporting people towards the Perth central business district, and to a lesser extent, regional centres such as Fremantle. Projected patronage on the CircleRoute before its introduction indicated significant patronage over most of its route, aside from the section through Belmont, which had only modest predicted patronage.<ref name=10yearplan>{{cite book |title=Better public transport : ten-year plan for Transperth 1998-2007. |date=1998 |publisher=Transperth |isbn=073072400X |pages=25–26}}</ref>

The CircleRoute was designed so that for each section of the route, the route distance is less than 10% over the shortest road distance between two points. The CircleRoute is a limited stops route, meaning it does not stop at every bus stop along its route. The average stop spacing is {{convert|500|m}}.<ref name=10yearplan/>

The routes were renumbered from 98 and 99 to 998 and 999 on 31 January 2016, as to signify being a part of Transperth's premium, high-frequency services.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bus, Train and Ferry - Major Timetable Changes |url=http://www.transperth.wa.gov.au/Service-Updates/Service-Update-Details/bus-train-and-ferry-major-timetable-changes-17580 |author=Transperth |publisher=Government of Western Australia |accessdate=3 February 2016 |archive-date=7 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160107055204/http://www.transperth.wa.gov.au/Service-Updates/Service-Update-Details/bus-train-and-ferry-major-timetable-changes-17580 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>Transperth News ''Rattler'' issue 341 January 2001 page 7</ref>

From April 2016 to March 2017, each direction of the CircleRoute had two million to three million yearly boardings, making the CircleRoute the second and third most used Transperth bus route, after the 950 bus route from [[Galleria bus station]] to [[QEII Medical Centre]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Planning and Management of Bus Services |url=https://audit.wa.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/report2017_23-Buses.pdf |website=Office of the Auditor General |page=33 |date=November 2017 |access-date=23 September 2021 |archive-date=30 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330084327/https://audit.wa.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/report2017_23-Buses.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

In the middle of 2023, the CircleRoute operated on a temporary alignment to serve Meltham Station<ref name=":0" /> whilst awaiting the completion of the new Bayswater Station. This change has since between reverted following the station’s reopening.

==Fares==
Since 25 November 2007, fares have been determined according to the same Transperth zonal system used by other bus routes and trains in the region; prior to that date, the CircleRoute used its own distinct zones.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20071121150634/http://www.transperth.wa.gov.au/ServiceInfo/ServiceChanges/tabid/132/newsid568/365/Default.aspx Transperth Zone Boundary changes] Transperth</ref> Since 2021 all fares have been capped at 2 zones.

==Route==
{{maplink|from=Transperth CircleRoute.map|frame=yes|frame-align=center|frame-width=400|frame-height=400|zoom=11|text=CircleRoute map}}

==Major bus stops==
{|border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" align="center" id="toc" class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
!style="background:#009E58"|{{white|Location}}
!style="background:#009E58"|{{white|Zone}}
!style="background:#009E58"|{{white|Serving suburbs}}
!style="background:#009E58"|{{white|Transfers}}
|-
!colspan="5" style="background:#008C99;color:white;"|CircleRoute
|-
|[[Fremantle railway station|Fremantle station]]
|rowspan="5"|2
|[[Fremantle]]
|{{rint|BUS|1|size=18}}, {{rcb|system=Transperth|line=FRE|inline=yes}}
|-
|[[Stock Road]]
|[[O'Connor, Western Australia|O'Connor]], [[Samson, Western Australia|Samson]]
|
|-
|[[Murdoch University]]
|rowspan="2"|[[Murdoch, Western Australia|Murdoch]]
|
|-
|[[Murdoch railway station|Murdoch station]]
|{{rint|BUS|1|size=18}}, {{rcb|system=Transperth|line=MAN|inline=yes}}
|-
|Southlands Boulevarde
|[[Willetton]]
|
|-
|[[Curtin University bus station]]
|rowspan="7"|1
|[[Bentley, Western Australia|Bentley]]
|{{rint|BUS|1|size=18}}
|-
|[[Oats Street railway station|Oats Street station]]
|[[Carlisle, Western Australia|Carlisle]], [[East Victoria Park]]
|{{rcb|system=Transperth|line=ARM|inline=yes}}, {{rcb|system=Transperth|line=THO|inline=yes}}
|-
|Belmont Forum
|[[Belmont, Western Australia|Belmont]], [[Cloverdale, Western Australia|Cloverdale]]
|
|-
|Ascot Racecourse
|[[Ascot, Western Australia|Ascot]]
|
|-
|[[Galleria bus station]]
|[[Morley, Western Australia|Morley]]
|{{rint|BUS|1|size=18}}
|-
|[[Bayswater railway station, Perth|Bayswater station]]<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |url=https://www.transperth.wa.gov.au/timetablepdfs/CircleRoute%20Timetable%20200%2020230331.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=11 April 2023 |archive-date=11 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230411042134/https://www.transperth.wa.gov.au/timetablepdfs/CircleRoute%20Timetable%20200%2020230331.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
|[[Bayswater, Western Australia|Bayswater]]
|{{rint|BUS|1|size=18}}, {{rcb|system=Transperth|line=HWY|inline=yes}}, 
{{rcb|system=Transperth|line=MID|inline=yes}},

{{rcb|system=Transperth|line=EBK|inline=yes}}
|-

|Dianella Plaza
|[[Dianella, Western Australia|Dianella]]
|
|-
|[[Stirling railway station, Perth|Stirling station]]
|2
|[[Stirling, Western Australia|Stirling]]
|{{rint|BUS|1|size=18}}, {{rcb|system=Transperth|line=JDP|inline=yes}}
|-
|Churchlands Green
|rowspan="4"|1
|[[Churchlands, Western Australia|Churchlands]], [[Herdsman, Western Australia|Herdsman]]

|-
|[[Shenton Park railway station|Shenton Park station]]
|[[Shenton Park, Western Australia|Shenton Park]]
|{{rcb|system=Transperth|line=FRE|inline=yes}}
|-
|[[QEII Medical Centre]]
|[[Nedlands, Western Australia|Nedlands]]
|
|-
|[[University of Western Australia|University of WA]]
|[[Crawley, Western Australia|Crawley]]
|
|-
|[[Methodist Ladies' College, Perth|Methodist Ladies College, Claremont]]
|rowspan="2"|2
|[[Claremont, Western Australia|Claremont]]
|
|-
|[[Fremantle railway station|Fremantle station]]
|Fremantle
|{{rint|BUS|1|size=18}}, {{rcb|system=Transperth|line=FRE|inline=yes}}
|}
Route 998 read up, route 999 read down.

==See also==
*[[Buses in Perth]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.transperth.wa.gov.au/timetables/details?Bus=998 Route 998 timetable] Transperth
*[http://www.transperth.wa.gov.au/timetables/details?Bus=999 Route 999 timetable] Transperth

{{Perth public transport}}
{{TransperthBusStations|state=collapsed}}

[[Category:Bus routes in Australia]]
[[Category:Bus transport in Perth, Western Australia]]
[[Category:Circular bus routes]]
[[Category:Bus transport brands]]